Perfect Pesto - The Best Quick Meal

Quick perfect meal!

I went back to school this week and I need quick, easy, delicious meals that I can make whenever I get home from school.  Pesto pasta is the perfect choice!  I am blogging the basic recipe but you can add many things to the basic sauce to make it unique and interesting, such as roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, red pepper flakes, grilled chicken or shrimp, a variety of fresh herbs, or different nut choices.  Bottom line: play around with it and include the things you love!

basil, lemon, garlic, Romano cheese

The basic recipe will only take you a few minutes to whip up. It includes a bunch of fresh basil, 2-3 cloves of garlic, the juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1/3-1/2 cup grated Romano cheese, 2 tbs toasted pine nuts, salt and pepper.  Put everything but the oil in a food processor and process until well chopped. Slowly add the oil and mix until blended but the flecks of basil are still visible.  As this sits it will separate...just give it a stir before putting it on the pasta.

the finished pesto, fresh cherry tomatoes, pasta

Cook one pound of pasta until it is al dente and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.  Drain pasta and put back into the pot.  Add about 1/4 cup pesto and toss, then add more pesto and a bit of reserved cooking water so it is moist and not sticky.  Toss in grape tomatoes that have been halved.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with lots of crusty bread!  The bread in this picture came from the Farmer's Market in Holden, MA.  I am pretty sure I could eat the whole loaf.  It is a rustic country bread that is slightly sweet with a terrific crust. It came from Five Loaves Bakery in Spencer, MA.

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Pesto & Pasta
yield: ~4 cups of pesto   prep time: ~10 minutes   cook time: ~5 minutes   difficulty: super easy!

Pesto
- bunch of fresh basil (around 3-4 cups)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1/3-1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- 2 tbs toasted pine nuts
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil

Pasta
- one pound of pasta
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup grated Romano cheese

Instructions
1. Add all pesto ingredients to food processor and blend, adding olive oil until you reach a desired consistency.
2. Cook a pound of pasta until al dente, and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.
3. Drain pasta and put back into the pot.
4. Add about 1/4 cup pesto and toss.
5. Add more pesto and a bit of reserved cooking water so it is moist and not sticky.
6. Toss in grape tomatoes that have been halved
7. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with lots of crusty bread!